Over the past few years, the Uranium mining industry has grown noticeably stronger. And, if you saw my last post on the subject, you would know that this is not necessarily a good thing. With environmental degradation, soil and air poisoning, and terrible effects on local communities, it's no stretch to say that the industry should be a prominent focus for environmental improvement efforts. But, with the recent increase of reliance on nuclear energy as a form of alternative energy, it's unlikely that the industry can ever fully be put to rest. That being said, the methods used in mining can certainly be refined and improved, and we as individuals can help to make that happen. But how exactly? Well, that's what we're here to talk about this week.
Establishing Perspective
The Uranium mining industry is not the same as the Palm Oil industry. Methods of stopping the production of Palm Oil all focus on one simple goal: to stop buying products with Palm Oil. While this can be done through a few different methods, the major goal is plain and simple. Improving the Uranium mining industry is not like this. After all, we can't go out and buy Uranium from our grocery stores. The product harvested by this industry goes first to companies that produce electricity, and then out to us. This creates some complications when discussing what our job as the consumer is when it comes to improving the industry, as we don't have an extremely direct effect on it.
Obviously, a good portion of this responsibility lays within the realm of our governments, as most often they are the ones funding these operations. Additionally, they can implement policy restricting the impact of operations run by private companies, and impose punishments on those that don't meet the restrictions. Lucky for us, there are some countries and governments that have worked to improve their nuclear energy and Uranium industries, an example of which can be found by clicking here. But, with private agendas and lobbying from companies opposed to the changes, we can't always rely on politicians to make these improvements for us.
Our Influence on Government
That being said, bringing this issue to the forefront of political debate will most certainly help to push a solution forwards. Because our governments have the most influence on this industry, pushing them towards restrictive or corrective policy will no doubt effect the industry too. This influence can be manifested in a multitude of different ways, the most basic of which being who we vote for. All positions, whether it be president, senator, representative, or even mayor, have an impact. So, when deciding on who to vote for, consider the one that focuses more on protecting the environment. Voting for an environment-supporter creates a better chance of solutions being implemented.
Additionally, getting involved with what our current representatives do makes a big impact as well. Going to town hall meetings, discussions on policy (that are open to the public of course) and sending messages to representatives all help to show that you care about this issue. A lot of these functions can be done through an app called Countable (which you can learn about here). I explained it in detail in that link, but essentially the app allows you to view any current policies being pushed in governments, how your representatives vote on them, and it even allows you to contact your representatives with your opinion on those policies.
Donating Time and Money
This seems to be a common theme for most environmental issues, but for the Uranium mining industry it is especially prevalent. Direct nonviolent action from organizations such as Greenpeace and The Wilderness Society is one of the most effective ways of letting companies and governments know that we care about what the industry does. If you're looking to donate money, I would suggest checking out The Wilderness Society by clicking here. While they don't offer many opportunities for volunteer and front-line work, they are one of the few organizations that actually focuses on Uranium mining as a prevalent issue.
Also, if you are looking to donate your time, Greenpeace has a ton of different ways to get involved, from internships to volunteering to front-line protest work. As of now, they don't have a specific agenda against the Uranium mining industry, but it can always be suggested (that's what I hope to do when i'm old enough). You can also donate money to Greenpeace, but personally I find time to be more valuable.
Talk With Your Community
One of the major reasons the Uranium mining industry remains so terrible is because it goes unnoticed. Not many people actually know about it, and as a result not many people talk about it. So, starting discussions with friends, family members, and coworkers can not only lead to interesting discussions that craft better solutions, but help to bring the industry's issues to the forefront of our minds. I myself am planning to discuss it with the Environmental Club at my school, and hopefully bring some more attention to the issue. It's important to remember that these discussions don't have to be huge. Just a simple conversation between friends can go a long way in crafting solutions and informing more people about the issue. It's an easy solution that everyone can take part in, regardless of how much time or money they have.
Conclusion
So, the methods for improving the Uranium mining industry may not be as straightforward as we would like them to be, but they are effective nonetheless. As the recent gun control protests have shown us, direct action can go a long way to bringing an issue to the forefront of debate. Discussion with politicians, friends, family, coworkers, and fellow students all help to push us towards a final solution. And, if you want to get up and do something, joining an organization will help to push change directly. This issue may not be extremely prevalent now, but with the inevitable increase in reliance on nuclear energy to come in the future, it may very well become one of the most important environmental issues of the coming years. So, let's not forget it, and start early on working towards a solution. Thanks for reading.
All credit for information used in this post goes to:
http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2016/finalwebsite/solutions/greenmining.html
http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/mining-of-uranium/uranium-mining-overview.aspx
https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/
http://twtd.wilderness.org/
Images:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Underground_uranium_mining.jpg
http://theconversation.com/rangers-toxic-spill-highlights-the-perils-of-self-regulation-21409
http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/051111_grandcanyon_mining/federal-plan-wont-end-uranium-mining-near-grand-canyon/
http://www.newsweek.com/whos-giving-money-politicians-republicans-wont-tell-372402
http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/eij/article/money_in_politics
https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/countable
http://www.hdtimelapse.net/details.php?movie_id=3892
https://notafishblog.wordpress.com/2014/12/02/greenpeace-vs-sea-shepherd/
http://www.ksharpconsulting.com/blog/
http://collaborativefamilylawsandiegoblog.com/top-nine-collaborative-divorce-tips-for-success/
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